1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a power cable.
2. Description of the Related Art
An example of a conventional large-capacity power cable may include three (3) transmission cables that are arranged so that center axes thereof in a cross sectional view substantially correspond to three (3) vertexes of an equilateral triangle, where each transmission cable has a semiconductive layer at an outermost layer portion without providing a metal layer on an outer periphery of an insulator. A return path conductor forming a return path for a fault current may be arranged at a center of the equilateral triangle, to be surrounded by the three (3) transmission cables, in order to electrically connect the conductor to the semiconductive layer of the transmission cables. An example of such a conventional large-capacity power cable is proposed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2007-180742.
In the conventional power cable, the return path conductor forming the return path for the fault current is the only conductor through which the fault current may flow. For this reason, when the fault current is large to a certain extent, a current exceeding a ground-fault capacity of the power cable or the return path conductor may flow and damage the power cable.